Abstract
The transition from deployment to reintegration can be stressful for returning military personnel and at-home partners, and support plays a key role in their ability to transition effectively. We draw on relational turbulence theory to advance predictions about how parameters of the relationship between returning service members and at-home partners predict their perceptions of their partner’s support during the post-deployment transition. We surveyed 235 individuals (117 returning service members, 118 at-home partners) who had experienced the transition within the past 6 months. Findings consistent with the theory indicated that relational turbulence partially mediated the negative associations that relational uncertainty and interference from a partner shared with partner support. Partner uncertainty was a direct negative predictor of partner support as well. We consider how these results extend theory, research, and practice.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 52-73 |
| Number of pages | 22 |
| Journal | Journal of Applied Communication Research |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 2 2018 |
Keywords
- Interference from a partner
- military deployment
- relational turbulence
- relational uncertainty
- social support
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Communication
- Language and Linguistics